thedrifter
05-16-07, 08:03 AM
Marine recruits get taste of boot camp at Grissom
By TOM DAVIS
Monday, May 14, 2007 10:13 PM EDT
GRISSOM ARB - They are few in number.
They are proud because of the discipline and fortitude that they possess in achieving what it takes to become a United States Marine.
And on Saturday, May 12, 300 or so young men and women from throughout Indiana received their first dose of what it takes to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a Marine.
The USMC gathered a statewide pool of recruits for a day of training and motivation at Grissom Air Reserve Base to better prepare the recruits for their upcoming day of reporting to boot camp.
“It's a good opportunity to give them a chance to see what it is going to be like (at boot camp),” USMC Sgt. Jason Gallentine said. “They'll have drill instructors come out and speak to them, go through some PT (physical training). ...”
Two of the 11 area recruits that took part in the event learned some harsh lessons on Saturday, but are nonetheless, very excited about their future.
Northfield High School senior Timothy Crawford envisions a career in the Marine Infantry, as well as a brighter future for himself.
“I was going down a road that I didn't want to go down,” Crawford said for his reasoning behind his enlistment.
Since his enlistment in the delayed entry program, he has increased his focus on his future, most notably recently, on his physical training.
Crawford, who is the son of Robert and Brenda Crawford, Wabash, has been running two to three times each week to better prepare himself for the physical tests that await him. To enlist in the Marines, each recruit has to better 13:30 in the mile-and-a-half run, something that Crawford beat with no problem on Saturday. He also easily surpassed the “crunch” test of 44 in a two-minute span. However, the pull-up test was another matter.
“Pull-ups are harder for a bigger guy like me,” Crawford explained.
He did not complete a pull-up during the test Saturday, and must be able to perform two of them by the time he reports to duty later this year. Completing a pull-up may not sound that difficult to some, however, as the veteran Marines indicated in their behavior, demeanor and dress, shortcuts are not tolerated.
Each pull-up must start from a 180-degree nonmoving hanging position, then you must lift your chin over the bar, before completely unlocking your arms yet again.
That's one.
If one thinks that once boot camp is complete, the Marines slack off with their physical training, that would be a mistake. On Saturday, the fields of Grissom ARB looked like a Jack LaLanne fitness convention, as every veteran Marine was cut, clean, and courteous. The young kids may have shown up on Saturday with soft stomachs, ponytails (even a few of the guys), painted fingernails and ripped-up pants, but by Christmas, they'll look like “super heroes with guns,” as one staff sergeant used his son's description of what a Marine looks like.
With approximately 6 percent of the Marine Corps comprised of females, it was not just the males that were pushed physically and mentally on Saturday.
Wabash High School senior Michelle Mayo is fulfilling a dream she has had since September 11, 2001.
“(Michelle) saw those buildings come down and she said ‘Somebody has to do something about that,'” Robert Mayo said of his youngest daughter. Robert and his wife, Karen, LaFontaine, are “thrilled” that Michelle has chosen this career path.
“There are a lot easier paths to follow than joining the Marines,” Robert said. “It's not going to be easy, but she can do it.”
Actually enlisting in the Marines, whom she says “are the best,” was the easy part for Michelle. The difficult part was being accepted into the particular part of the Corps that she chose.
Mayo has been accepted into The Commandant's Own branch of the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. This honor was the first awarded to a female to perform in the percussion section since 1981.
“I didn't know if she could (achieve that goal),” her father said. “I was a little afraid when she told me that is what she wanted to do that she would get her bubble burst. But she focused and kept working at it.”
Michelle, who said that her focus has been on “running and music for the past two years,” had to audition three times before receiving the honor, including a three-hour tryout in Madison, Wis.
Once in the Corps, she will report to Paris Island, S.C., for boot camp, but after that, she will go who knows where, as the select musical group travels all over the world for performances.
With the music tests over, Mayo has also blown away the physical challenges. Her score of 145 crunches in two minutes shattered the mark of 100, which is considered perfect by the Corps. In the run, Mayo cranked out a 12:48 and beat her goal of 1:20 in the chin-up hang by a couple of seconds.
That didn't mean Mayo's day was all smooth. Later in the event, a female drill instructor made sure that Mayo, and the rest of the females partaking in the operation, remained quite humble.
The instructors, which were every bit as intimidating in real life as they are in the movies, got their point across with interesting verbiage, much frequency, and with tremendous volume.
Mayo and her mates had to repeatedly perform push-ups for the slightest gaffe, such as brushing your hair away or simply looking in the improper direction.
Crawford and his group didn't enjoy any easier of a time, as the drill sergeant pulled out one soldier for “individual attention,” and he became so flustered during the questioning that he couldn't spit out his own name properly.
The recruits survived Saturday's exercise, however, “it will be turned up a notch” at boot camp according to one staff sergeant.
“Different people adjust differently,” Gallentine explained. “But about two weeks in, you learn when to talk, how to talk, when to eat, and what to do. From then on, you just focus on doing what you are supposed to and you can get through it.”
Ellie
By TOM DAVIS
Monday, May 14, 2007 10:13 PM EDT
GRISSOM ARB - They are few in number.
They are proud because of the discipline and fortitude that they possess in achieving what it takes to become a United States Marine.
And on Saturday, May 12, 300 or so young men and women from throughout Indiana received their first dose of what it takes to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a Marine.
The USMC gathered a statewide pool of recruits for a day of training and motivation at Grissom Air Reserve Base to better prepare the recruits for their upcoming day of reporting to boot camp.
“It's a good opportunity to give them a chance to see what it is going to be like (at boot camp),” USMC Sgt. Jason Gallentine said. “They'll have drill instructors come out and speak to them, go through some PT (physical training). ...”
Two of the 11 area recruits that took part in the event learned some harsh lessons on Saturday, but are nonetheless, very excited about their future.
Northfield High School senior Timothy Crawford envisions a career in the Marine Infantry, as well as a brighter future for himself.
“I was going down a road that I didn't want to go down,” Crawford said for his reasoning behind his enlistment.
Since his enlistment in the delayed entry program, he has increased his focus on his future, most notably recently, on his physical training.
Crawford, who is the son of Robert and Brenda Crawford, Wabash, has been running two to three times each week to better prepare himself for the physical tests that await him. To enlist in the Marines, each recruit has to better 13:30 in the mile-and-a-half run, something that Crawford beat with no problem on Saturday. He also easily surpassed the “crunch” test of 44 in a two-minute span. However, the pull-up test was another matter.
“Pull-ups are harder for a bigger guy like me,” Crawford explained.
He did not complete a pull-up during the test Saturday, and must be able to perform two of them by the time he reports to duty later this year. Completing a pull-up may not sound that difficult to some, however, as the veteran Marines indicated in their behavior, demeanor and dress, shortcuts are not tolerated.
Each pull-up must start from a 180-degree nonmoving hanging position, then you must lift your chin over the bar, before completely unlocking your arms yet again.
That's one.
If one thinks that once boot camp is complete, the Marines slack off with their physical training, that would be a mistake. On Saturday, the fields of Grissom ARB looked like a Jack LaLanne fitness convention, as every veteran Marine was cut, clean, and courteous. The young kids may have shown up on Saturday with soft stomachs, ponytails (even a few of the guys), painted fingernails and ripped-up pants, but by Christmas, they'll look like “super heroes with guns,” as one staff sergeant used his son's description of what a Marine looks like.
With approximately 6 percent of the Marine Corps comprised of females, it was not just the males that were pushed physically and mentally on Saturday.
Wabash High School senior Michelle Mayo is fulfilling a dream she has had since September 11, 2001.
“(Michelle) saw those buildings come down and she said ‘Somebody has to do something about that,'” Robert Mayo said of his youngest daughter. Robert and his wife, Karen, LaFontaine, are “thrilled” that Michelle has chosen this career path.
“There are a lot easier paths to follow than joining the Marines,” Robert said. “It's not going to be easy, but she can do it.”
Actually enlisting in the Marines, whom she says “are the best,” was the easy part for Michelle. The difficult part was being accepted into the particular part of the Corps that she chose.
Mayo has been accepted into The Commandant's Own branch of the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. This honor was the first awarded to a female to perform in the percussion section since 1981.
“I didn't know if she could (achieve that goal),” her father said. “I was a little afraid when she told me that is what she wanted to do that she would get her bubble burst. But she focused and kept working at it.”
Michelle, who said that her focus has been on “running and music for the past two years,” had to audition three times before receiving the honor, including a three-hour tryout in Madison, Wis.
Once in the Corps, she will report to Paris Island, S.C., for boot camp, but after that, she will go who knows where, as the select musical group travels all over the world for performances.
With the music tests over, Mayo has also blown away the physical challenges. Her score of 145 crunches in two minutes shattered the mark of 100, which is considered perfect by the Corps. In the run, Mayo cranked out a 12:48 and beat her goal of 1:20 in the chin-up hang by a couple of seconds.
That didn't mean Mayo's day was all smooth. Later in the event, a female drill instructor made sure that Mayo, and the rest of the females partaking in the operation, remained quite humble.
The instructors, which were every bit as intimidating in real life as they are in the movies, got their point across with interesting verbiage, much frequency, and with tremendous volume.
Mayo and her mates had to repeatedly perform push-ups for the slightest gaffe, such as brushing your hair away or simply looking in the improper direction.
Crawford and his group didn't enjoy any easier of a time, as the drill sergeant pulled out one soldier for “individual attention,” and he became so flustered during the questioning that he couldn't spit out his own name properly.
The recruits survived Saturday's exercise, however, “it will be turned up a notch” at boot camp according to one staff sergeant.
“Different people adjust differently,” Gallentine explained. “But about two weeks in, you learn when to talk, how to talk, when to eat, and what to do. From then on, you just focus on doing what you are supposed to and you can get through it.”
Ellie